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KB: Fix Altium Designer Not Opening from Web Viewer

Updated: September 09, 2026
Altium Designer Altium Designer
If Altium Designer does not open when launching a Workspace project from a browser, opening a project from the Web Viewer, or using a browser-based sign-in flow such as PLM Publish SSO, the DXP link association may be pointing to an Altium Designer version that is no longer installed. This commonly occurs after uninstalling a previously installed version of Altium Designer. To restore functionality, either reinstall Altium Designer or update the Windows DXP protocol association to reference the currently installed version.

At a Glance

If Altium Designer does not open when launching a Workspace project from a browser, opening a project from the Web Viewer, or using a browser-based sign-in flow such as PLM Publish SSO, the DXP link association may be pointing to an Altium Designer version that is no longer installed. This commonly occurs after uninstalling a previously installed version of Altium Designer. To restore functionality, either reinstall Altium Designer or update the Windows DXP protocol association to reference the currently installed version.
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Solution Details

Browser Redirects and Project Launches Fail

After logging in through a browser or selecting a project from the web viewer interface, Altium Designer may fail to launch. The same behavior may occur when using PLM Publish features such as the Login with SSO button. In these scenarios, the DXP protocol link does not successfully open Altium Designer.

Browser dialog asking to open URL:DXP Protocol, stating an altium.com link wants to open an application, with a checkbox to always allow and buttons to open the protocol or cancel.

DXP Protocol Remains Mapped to Removed Version

During installation, Altium Designer configures DXP protocol links to point to the version being installed. As a result, DXP links are associated with the most recently installed version. If that version is later uninstalled, the DXP link configuration is not automatically updated to another installed version, resulting in a broken association.

Available Recovery Options

  • Reinstall Altium Designer to automatically restore the DXP protocol association.
  • Manually update the Windows registry entry to point to the currently installed Altium Designer executable.

Restore the Correct DXP Protocol Association

  1. Choose one of the available recovery options.
  2. To reinstall, download and install Altium Designer, selecting the option to keep existing settings when prompted.
  3. To manually repair the association, open the Windows Registry Editor using an account with administrator privileges.
  4. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DXP\shell\open\command.
  5. Update the executable path so it points to the currently installed Altium Designer version.

    Registry Editor at HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DXP\shell\open\command, showing the Default REG_SZ value set to a quoted path to an Altium executable with "%1" argument, defining how DXP protocol links open.

  6. Save the changes.
  7. Restart the computer.
  8. Verify that browser-based redirects, Workspace project launches, or PLM Publish SSO authentication open correctly in Altium Designer.

Additional Notes

  • Always verify the installation path before updating the registry.
  • Reinstallation is the recommended option because it restores protocol associations and related configuration settings automatically.

References

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